Band-cutter and feeder



(-No Model.)

l 2 Sheets-Sheet l. M. A. SMITH. BAND CUTTER AND FEEDER.

Patented' Dec. 3l, 1889.

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BAND GUTTER AND FEEDER.

No. 418,592. Patented Dee. 31, 1.889..

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. inverted position, showing the push-rod for indicates the main frame, which may be of tion, such as will enable others skilled in the ments in attachments UNITED STATES yPATENT OFFICE.

MARTIN A. SMITH, or ATLANTTQJIOWA.

BAND-CUTTERAND FEEDER.

' v SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 418,592, dated December 31, 1889.

Application filed April 23, 1889.

-To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known `that I, `MARTIN A. SMITH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Atlantic,in the county of Cass and State of Iowa, have invented certainfnew and useful Improvements in Band-Cutters and Feeders; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invenart to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention has relation to improvefor thrashing machines, and of the class known as band-cutters and feeders.

The novelty will be fully understood from the following description andclaims, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which- Figure 1' is a perspective View of the top plate or cover of my improved machine in an manipulating the fingers and the means for connecting the said rods with the operating mechanism. l Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view..v Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken in the plane indicated by the dotted lines 0c :r of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a View of one of the grooved plates which guide the knife or cutter. Fig. 5 is a view of one of the sprocketwheels, showing a pawl thereon andthe shaft for supporting it in section.

Referring by letter to the said drawings, A

a rectangular or other suitable form and adapted to join the frame of a thrashing-machine in the ordinary manner. B indicates the top of this frame A. This top is provided near opposite sides with parallel slits or ways d, for the passage of fingerscarried on an endless chain, and adapted to deliver the bundled grain in a position to be acted upon by the knife, as will be presently explained. This top B is also provided in a plane relatively at right angles to the slots d with a vertical slot b, for the passage of the knife or cutter, and at opposite ends of this slot b and in a plane at right angles thereto are two slots c, to receive ngers carried by a reciprocated rod, and designed to advance or push the bunserin No. 308,323. (Numana dle from over the knife-slot after the band has been severed. I

Journaled `transversely in suitable bearings on the under side of the top B are two reciprocating rods or pushers C, which are adapted to receive motion from4 the rockshaftD through the medium of bent arms E on the said shaft, as will be presently described. These reciprocating rods or pushers have depending from their under side at a suitable point a bracket d, adapted to receive within them the bent arms E, the brackets being so formed that as the shaft D is partly rotated the bent arms E will freely disengage therefrom at every rotation orrocking movement. These push-rods C carry at their inner ends a finger e, which is curved, as shown, and adapted to pass through the slots c in the top. These fingers are pivoted to the push-rods C, and are actuated by a flat spring f, secured at one end to the under side of the top and connected at their opposite ends with the said pivoted fingers in advance of their pivotal point. By this construction it will be seen that, owing to. the formation of the fingers, when the pushrods are moved in their bearings the fingers will enter the slot, and by the action of the spring connected with them they will rise and in the forward stroke engage the bundle immediately after the cord orband has been cut andpush the same to the thrasher. When the push-rod has been reversed in its movements, the fingers will travel backwardly in the slots c and rise bythe action of the spring in time to receive and push forward the next bundle. The springs f are preferably connected with the pivoted fingers c by means of aneye formed in the forward end of the former, and the said fingers have their forward ends so bent that they will offer no obstruction to the bundle as it is delivered above the knife or cutter.

D indicates the rock-shaft, which carries the arms E to impart a reciprocating motion to the push-rods and fingers carried thereby.

This rock-shaft is provided about midway of its length, or any suitable point, with a fixed pinion g, and the said shaft is furthermore provided at suitable points with integral IOO ratchets h. Arranged loosely on this rock shaft, and at suitable points adjacent to the ratchets thereon, are two sprocket-wheels F, which are designed lo engage the links of endless chains G, which carry fingers adapted to pass through the slot (L in the top and feed the bundle to the cutter. Journaled in rear of and parallel to this rock-shaft is a rotatable shaft Il, which carries at a point in the plane of the sprocket-wheels two pulleys or sheaves I, which receive over them the endless chains which carry the lingers t'. These sprocket-wheels have fixed to one side in a vertical position a ratchet-wheel K, and have journaled on their opposite sides a pawl L, the said pawl bein g pressed by a spring, such as M, so that the said pawls may be normally held in engagement with the ratchet 71, formed on or made fast with the rock-shaft.

N indicates a detent-arm, which is hinged or secured at one end to a cross-bar O of the main frame, and its opposite end is adapted to enter the teeth of the ratchet K, secured to the sprocket-wheel. This detent-arm is held in engagement to the teeth of said ratchet by a spring-arm P, which has its outer end secured in the main frame, and there is one of these detents and springpressed arms with a ratchet for each sprocket-wheel.

As before described, the ratchet-wheels or sprocket-wheels are arranged loosely upon the rock-shaft and carry pivoted springpressed pawls, so that they will have an in termittent movement always in one direction, thereby driving the endless chain and manipulating the fingers which feed the bundle to the knife or cutter. By the employment of the ratchets secured to the sprocket-wheels and the detent-arms N, the said sprocketwheels will be prevented from reversing their position on the shaft and by giving the latter a rocking motion by means which will be presently described the said wheels and endless chain are given an intermittent rotary motion.

Q indicates a frame, which is arranged transversely in the main frame A, and is designed to receive and guide a sliding rackbar R, the said rack-bar engaging the pinion g on the rock-shaft D. This rack-bar receives a reciprocating motion from acam m through the medium of an arm S, connected with a pivoted vibratory lever T.

U indicates the cutter. This cutter, which may be arranged at any desired angle and may be of steel or other suitable material to enter the slot b in the top of the frame, is secured to an arm V by means of bolts or other` fastening devices, and is vertically disposed. This arm is provided with trunnions XV on opposite sides, which enter ways in bearingplates 7c, so as to receive a vertical reciprocating motion and impart the same to the cutter. These ways for the trunnions XV are of approximately diamond shape in outline, and better shown in Fig. t of the drawings. This cutter-arm is connected at one end by Vtravel without interruption and means of a crank-pin l with a rotatable cam in. The cam im, which is verticallyrdisposed, is secured to one end of a shaft n, having at its opposite end a bevel-gear p,which meshes with a similar gear r, secured to the inner end of a shaft s, carrying a pulley or other suitable device for receiving a rotary motion. lt will thus be seen that as motion is given to the shaft s it will be imparted through the medium of the gears r and p to the rotatable cam m.

The vibratory bar or arm T,which connects with the rack-bar R through the medium of the angular arm S, is provided at its free end with a vertical stud or lug X, adapted to be engaged by the cam fm to give the said arm the desired vibratory motion. This arm T may be supported in position by means of a crossrod Y.

The bearing-plates for the trunnions of the knife-bar, as more fully shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings, have diamond-shaped ways Z on their inner sides, and at the angles t of these ways are fiat springs u, having one end secured at the point tin the said plates and their opposite angular` ends playing in recesses w, so that during the stroke of the knife-bar the trunnions may be caused to the knife or 'cutter given' a proper movement to sever the band.

The springs in the trunnion-ways may have a piece of iron or'steel to cover the space back of them, so that no dirtmay clog the 'same or interfere with their free movement.

In operation, when motion has been given to the machine, as before described, and a bundle of grain placed upon the top B, the llingers on the endless chain, passing through the slots a, will feed the bundle toward the knife, and by the action of the cam the knife is reciprocated vertically, so as to come up through the slot Z) and sever the band on the bundle of grain aboveit. The fingers e, which are spring-actuated and receiving a reciprocating movement from the push-rod C through the medium of the arms on the rock-shaft, engage and drive the cut bundle toward the thrasher, removing it Jfrom the slot above the knife, so that another one may be received and its band cut, the whole operation being continuous and simultaneous;

Having described my invention, claim is l. A band-cutter and feeder having its top provided with slots, as described, in combination with an endless chain carrying fingers adapted to travel in one set of slots, a reciprocating push-rod carrying spring-actuated lingers adapted to travel in another set of slots, a vertically-reciprocating knife adapted to enter a slot in the cover, and a rock-shaft having arms to engage brackets in the pushrods and operate the same, substantially as specified.

2. In aband-cutter and feeder,

what I the combination, with a vertically-reciprocating cutter,

IOO

IIO

of a oainfcutter, a vibratory bar having a stud adapted to be engaged by the cain, a reciproeating rack-bar, an arm connecting said rackbarwibh the vibratory alin, and a rockshaft having a pinion to engage the reciprocating rack, and also havin g means to operate fingers for feeding the bundle to the knife, substantially as speei'ed.

3. The combination, rack, of a pinion fixed the rack, arms fixed to to engage and operate with a reoiplooatory to a shaft to engage Jche shaft and adapted push-rods, the shaft having fixed ratehets, Jche sprocket-Wheels a1.- ranged loosely on theshaft, the ratchet-wheel secured tothe sprocket-Wheels on one side and the spiing-piessed pawls pivoted on the opposite side Jchereof, the endless chain carrying fingers and passing` over the sprocket; Wheelr and the detenin-arins for prevent-ing a backward movement of the sprocket-wheels, substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I affix niy signature in presence of two Witnesses.

MARTIN A. SMITH.

Witnesses: Y

CHARLES D. BEERs, JNO. E. WARR. 

